Feb 05
Tarrant FiglioAppetizers, Sandwiches, retro food
Last night in numbering the reasons for actually having a team to cheer for in the Super Bowl, I pulled out the winning reason: New Orleans has much better food. Apologies to my father who grew up in Indiana and to my love’s mother also an Indiana native…Indianapolis may have some good food but truly no one thinks “Let’s go to Indiana to eat!”
New Orleans on the other hand – I day dream about meals there. Debris sandwiches, Po Boys, beignets, red beans and rice, aspic from Commander’s Palace…I could go on. But one must eat a muffaletta in New Orleans even vegetarians and low calorie, low fat people. It makes for a lovely lunch. None made outside the parish can compare but you still can try. It makes for good football food too.
My Non Native But Makes My Family Happy Muffaletta
1 round loaf Italian bread (no, you won’t get this exactly right unless you are in New Orleans)
3/4 cup olive salad (might be found in your grocer-especially in Chicago area or gourmet grocer (poke around the tapenade area for something chunkier than a tapenade. If worse comes to worse use green olives in oil, some giardiniara, and garlic mixed together and call it good-or I suppose you could look for a recipe)
1/2 lb Genoa Salami
1/4 lb Capicola or Ham
1/4 lb Mortadella
1/2 lb Sliced Mozzarella
1/2 lb Provolone
Slice bread in half lengthwise. Brush bread with olive oil from olive salad. Layer the meats alternating with the cheeses. Add top side of bread. Press down. Cut into quarters or smaller wedges.
Jan 29
Tarrant FiglioEggs, Recipes, Sandwiches, Sauces, retro food
Chicago seems to have a thing for egg and green pepper sandwiches-not quite like this one though. You can get them year-round in some places-other places seem to save them for Lent. Instead of fish on Friday…it is an egg and pepper sandwich on Friday.
Your corner sandwich shop doesn’t have these adorable retro beauties. You can’t beat them for thrifty, fun and tasty though!
Imagine fighting childhood obesity too-one sandwich for the whole family. Of course, if I tried to feed this to the whole family, my kids would choose no dinner. (One hates mayo, two not keen on eggs, three not fond of green pepper) That is quite all right-I find it the right size for a casual meal for the two of us.
Note the hot mayonnaise sauce is NOT spicey-but rather a cream cheese sauce with olives and pimento-adding a nice touch to this sandwich. Skip the spreading of mayo as you prepare if you plan to “pass the hot mayonnaise sauce” as suggested OR just make the hot mayo sauce and spread while assembling.
Egg and Green Pepper Family Club Sandwich
Remove the crusts from a day-old loaf of unsliced enriched or a specialty white bread. Cut in 3 lengthwise slices. Toast lightly under the broiler. Spread with mayonnaise. Place on a tray or platter. Arrange sliced green pepper on 1 slice. Cover with another slice of bread, then with a layer of hard-cooked eggs. Cover this with the remaining slice of bread. Top with seasoned sliced tomatoes. And here’s a tip–pass hot mayonnaise sauce.
Hot Mayonnaise Sauce
Combine 1/3 cup real mayonnaise, 1 (3 oz) package cream cheese and 3/4 cup milk. Beat with rotary beater until smooth. Add 1/3 cup each sliced olives and diced pimentos’ heat thoroughly in the top of a double boiler, stir occasionally.
Jan 28
Tarrant FiglioPoultry, Recipes, Sandwiches, Vegetables, retro food
I have a fondness for club sandwiches. I blame a childhood where such things were ladylike and fancy. Of course, I failed at ladylike anything…but I sure did like some grown up lady food. I couldn’t figure out the dresses, heels, discussions or make-up. I didn’t quite understand why all the ladies didn’t have “jobs” but never had a minute to spare. I did understand the club sandwich, but not why it was marked “lady food.”
I still like club sandwiches. My love does not…but I aim to convince her with…the MUSHROOM club sandwich! Yes! A mushroom club sandwich. Coarse cut butter fried mushrooms instead of the original chicken. I need to investigate the peppy mayo though. Because I live with an anti bacon person…I have to skip that too…making it a vegetarian dream sandwich. You know why? Because a little bit of olive makes a fine substitute for bacon when it comes to vegetarians.
I will start with the “Original” club sandwich and continue with the mushroom. Look at the photo though for the Turkey, Duck, Goose, Tongue, Roast Pork, Lobster, Salmon, Flounder Cheese, Boston, or Oyster Club sandwiches.
The Original Club Sandwich
3 slices toast
Butter or Margarine
Lettuce
Mayonnaise
2 slice cooked white chicken meat
2 crisp cooked bacon slices
2 slices tomato
Toast the bread and spread with butter or margarine.Cover one slice with chicken; spread with mayonnaise and top with a lettuce leaf. Place bacon and tomato slices on top. Cover with the remaining toast slice. Fasten securely with 4 wooden toothpicks. Cut the sandwich diagonally into 4 triangles. Stand them upright on a plate. Garnish with pickles, olives, or halved slices tomato.
Mushroom Club Sandwiches
Make according to directions for the original club sandwich; but use instead of chicke, a layer of coarse-chopped butter-fried fresh mushrooms. Add a little chopped scallion or minced olives and use “pepped up mayonnaise”
Better Cooking Library, Sandwich and Party Snack Cook Book, 1964
Nov 13
Tarrant FiglioAppetizers, Sandwiches
Another in the realm of my family won’t consider this but…this one sounds pretty good. (If you like deviled ham and relish…and catsup. I would be tempted to choose a mustard in place of the catchup.)
Holiday Sandwich Package
1 2-pound loaf unsliced white bread
2 4 1/2 ounce cans deviled ham
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1/2 cup chopped sweet pickle relish
2 tablespoons catsup
Radish roses
Cut out center of loaf leaving 1/2 inch shell around ends and sides. Slice bread thinly and spread with a mixture of deviled ham, relish, mayonnaise and catsup. Place sandwiches in bread shell and garnish with radishes. “Tie” loaf with holiday ribbon. Makes 24 small sandwiches.
Sandwich and Party Snack Cookbook, 1964
Nov 06
Tarrant FiglioAppetizers, Recipes, Sandwiches, retro food
At BlogHer and BlogHer Food this year, I got asked (and so did the children) whether we actually ATE the recipes I post. Well, sometimes. Sometimes one appears too retro fab not to share but my family screams as soon as I flip the page open. This recipe is one I can’t even convince Denise to buy the groceries for a demonstration project.
Your family might be more fun. Or you might be invited to a tacky themed holiday pot luck. Or your elderly mother or grandmother might smile fondly when you make this recipe. My mother smiled about it and described a similar dish from back in the day when I described it the other day.
In any case, retro appetizers and party foods are always popular this time of year…right?
“Christmas Tree” Sandwiches
(2 Variations)
Yes, the quotation marks appear in the official name of the recipe-as does the 2 variations
*20 slices white bread
1 4 1/2 ounce can deviled ham
1 3-oz package cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons orange marmalade
1 8-oz pkg package cream cheese, softened
1 cup cottage cheese
1 tablespoon milk
Green vegetable coloring
Wide strip orange peel.
**20 slices dark bread
2 4 1/2 oz cans deviled ham
4 tablespoons chopped raisins
4 tablespoons chopped nuts
1 8-oz package cream cheese, softened
1 cup cottage cheese
1 tablespoon milk
Wide strip orange peel
*Variation 1: TO cut out “tree” shape (triangle) start at top center of bread slice, cut down to the right corner of slice, then down to left corner. Trim remaining crust: repeat to make 20 “trees”. Combine deviled ham, cream cheese and marmalade. Spread half the slices with deviled ham mixture, top with remaining slices. To form loaf, stand sandwiches up right on a platter. Chill. Combine cream cheese, cottage cheese, milk and 4 drops coloring. Cut out 10 stars from orange peel. Place “stars” on center top of each sandwich. Frost loaf with cheese mixture. At serving time, cut between stars to separate sandwiches.
**Variation 2: Proceed as above, use dark bread instead of white. Combine deviled ham, raisins, and nuts for filling; and omit green coloring from the cheese frosting.
From Sandwich and Party Snack Cook Book, 1964
Nov 03
Tarrant FiglioAppetizers, Sandwiches, retro food
I bought off brand oat o type cereal a few weeks ago. The box got left on the counter. On the back it has a recipe using the cereal and the intro says “Everyone loves raisins.” I snickered when I saw it but said nothing. Girl child saw it later in the week and said “Wait a minute. This box is CRAZY. Everyone doesn’t love raisins. I don’t even really LIKE raisins, much less love them” Apparently she doesn’t remember that she was the child that I bought countless boxes of raisins for when she was small.
I also made her a sandwich filling like this that I would serve on whole wheat bread with a side of carrots or a salad when she was small. I find though that with today’s raisins-moister than the ones of yesteryear-you really don’t need to soak them before making this spread-unless yours have dried up or you buy them at a natural foods store, where I feel like they are a bit dryer. This spread goes equally well on crackers, bagels, rice cakes and celery. You can add a bit of cinnamon to jazz it up if you like.
From the Sandwich and Party Snack Cookbook, 1964
Cream Cheese-Raisin Sandwich Filling
1/2 cup seedless raisins
1/2 cup water
1 3 oz package cream cheese
4 teaspoons milk
Soak raisins in water for 30 minutes. (warm works best-or zap in microwave for a minute) Pour liquid off. Combine cream cheese and milk until soft. Add raisins and mix well. Makes 7/8 cup or filling for 4 sandwiches.
Jul 31
Tarrant FiglioSandwiches, Vegetables, retro food
This time of year, whenever I am in a gathering of women, I get transported back to the banks of the Magothy River in the 1970s. Why? Because there I realized that women do things differently when together but not really friend friends but friendly. Also, because that bit of summer tastes like a “revolutionary” sandwich of the day.
You see, a large group of us took swimming lessons in the Magothy river. While we learned crawl stroke, “Elementary backstroke” (a creation different from the backstroke the rest of the world learns), breast stroke, and to dive into the murky river–our mothers shared chatter and food.
One of the most coveted food items (on my part) and coo’d over foods the first summer of swimming lessons was a sandwich. A VEGETARIAN sandwich. (Well sort of, not sure if the Seven Seas Green Goddess dressing had anchovies or not)
Here are the ingredients:
Pocket Pita (known as Kangaroo bread or pocket bread in my area at the time)
cucumber slices
tomato slices (most likely tomatoes from Diehl’s produce stand or the garden)
sprouts
chopped green onions
lettuce (either buttercrunch from the garden or iceberg)
sliced green peppers
Green Goddess dressing
All the veggies arrived sliced and then the moms would slice the pitas in half to make the pocket, fill, top with dressing and eat.
Yes, that is it. Now, this is the sandwich that I would beg for after lessons…but was for grown ups. I still got to sneak a bite or two from time to time.
Every once in a while, it makes me pause to pick up green goddess dressing (which my kids think tastes like ranch) or stop and stare at the Kangaroo bread. Sometimes I will sneak one into my summer, but it just doesn’t taste the same without a group of gossipping moms, the grit of sand, and the kiss of the sun and river water on my face.
Apr 13
Tarrant FiglioSandwiches
The Chicagoist has reminded me that it is National Grilled Cheese Month. Yay! We love grilled cheese with a passion at this house.
These days, I am making a lot of grilled cheese with a spray of Pam and some reduced fat cheeses. However, the family favorite is American cheese, white bread and a nice spread of Country Crock margarine. Some in the family like a bit of mustard on that sandwich.
Then I have made exotic grilled cheese from a Grilled Cheese cookbook with my son. He…was not fond of my grilled cheese sandwiches for years and would ask Denise to make them. Thus the cookbook came into our life and a whole realm of fancy grilled cheese.
On the other hand…I like a nice grilled cheese with cheddar and tomato. Maybe a thin slice of onion. Mmmm…and of course, bacon can go nicely on some grilled cheese sandwiches.
Ah well.. Happy Grilled Cheese Month!
Apr 15
Tarrant FiglioFish, Recipes, Sandwiches, retro food retro, sandwich, tuna
Tuesday and time for your retro tuna fix. This week a sandwich. Much like a Monte Cristo sandwich…sorta not. Nice and inexpensive. (Though geez-what is going on with the price of tuna?!) Too much mayo in the recipe as usual.
Tuna Berry Sandwiches
1 6 1/2 oz can tuna-drained and flaked
1/4 cup finely chopped celery
2 tablespoons walnuts, chopped
1/4 cup mayonnaise or salad dressing
8 slices white bread
1 8-oz can jellied cranberry sauce, sliced 1/4 inch thick
***
2 slightly beaten eggs
3 tablespoons milk
Dash salt
Combine tuna, celery, nuts, and mayonnaise. Spread filling on 4 slices of bread. Arrange cranberry slices atop filling; top with remaining bread. Combine eggs, milk, and salt. Dip sandwiches in egg mixture. Brown on medium hot, lightly greased griddle, about 6 to 8 minutes, turning once. Makes 4 servings.
From Fondue and Tabletop Cooking, 1970
Feb 26
Tarrant FiglioAppetizers, Cheese, Fish, Recipes, Sandwiches, retro food retro, tuna
Well…an interesting choice for tuna salad…sort of tuna salad meets pimento cheese. Give it a whirl. Ok, substitute real cheese for the process cheese first.
Tuna Cheese Spread
1/2 lb. process cheese, grated
1 sm. can pimento, chopped
1 can tuna flaked and drained
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Salt to taste
Mayonnaise to taste
Blend all ingredients; spread on sandwiches or serve with assorted crackers or potato chips. Yield 10-12 servings. (I find it is more like 4 servings)
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